Coming Exhibitions & News

10th Anniversary Season – Thank You!

The 2016-17 10th Anniversary Season was incredible! Thank you for celebrating this important milestone in our history with us, across the past year.

We're taking a little break in August. and then the 2017-18 Season opens the weekend of September 8th with Dav Koz with Larry Graham Jr. live in the concert, new exhibitions in the Galleries and the start of fall semester in Arts Ed.

We sincerely thank you for your continued interest and support of our programming! Together we make the Grand truly unique in the State of California and a model collaborative arts project for other communities across the nation.

Summer Flash Sale at the Artwalk

We're continuing our Summer Flash Sale in the Co-Op!

Drop by the Grand during the Downtown Tracy Artwalk on Friday, August 11th from 6 to 8:30 pm and receive 10% discounts on ALL current work in the Co-Op! We'll also have special surprise discounts on several items including 10th Anniversary merch, exhibition catalogs, publications, and artworks by Bruce Duke.

Artwalk & Mural Project Return to the Streets

The Downtown Tracy Artwalk & Mural Project returned to the streets on Friday, July 7th, 2017. Artists, arts organizations, performers and hundreds of participants were on Central Avenue in celebration of our creative community.

John Thomason - Stockton artist and member of the 1850 Collective - began working on a new mural on 7th St. His wild, colorful image features a carnivale-like assemblage of figures. It's been fun to watch it evolve over the past two weeks!

We Animated Gumby!

On Saturday June 24th a class of animation enthusiasts joined Stephen Wathen, our summer Artist-In-Residence, for an afternoon of fun. Not only did we learn about the history and making of "Gumby," but everyone had the rare opportunity to animate one of the actual puppets on display in the Vivid Increments exhibition!

You can view and download our demo animation, as well as a time lapse of the afternoon session, from the workshop here.

Vivid Increments – the making of Stop Motion Animation

The 10th Anniversary 2016-17 Season closes with a blockbuster event! This exclusive exhibition features a unique display of art and objects that illustrate the 100+ year history, allure and creative process of stop motion animation. Vivid Increments - the making of Stop Motion Animation presents production art, posters, puppets, props, toys and video exploring the genre including King Kong (1933), The Black Scorpion (1957), Jack the Giant Killer (1962), Planet of Dinosaurs (1977), “Gumby” (1980-90’s), Mars Attacks (1996), James and the Giant Peach (1996), ParaNorman (2012) and Kubo and the Two Strings (2016).

In addition, a series of special educational events will feature movie screenings, presentations and workshops with appearances by experts from the field of stop motion animation. The project honors of those working in this incredible media, from the early pioneers such as Dawley, O'Brien, Pal & Harryhausen, to the contemporary animation studios of Aardman, Clokey & Laika.

August 2016 Mural Project

As part of the last Artwalk of 2016, local letterform artist Susan Richardson created something BIG! She returned to the Downtown Tracy Mural Project with another dynamic and interactive community creation entitled, If Walls Could Talk.

Susan's mural explores the 100+ year history of the large wall near Box Office, in Jackson Alley. Originally part of the American Hotel built in 1909, this wall served as a highly visible billboard in downtown advertising the feature performances and films presented at the Grand Theatre in the first half of the 20th Century.

Dozens of participants, of all ages and backgrounds, provided a response to Susan's call to create this project. The result is a collection of the diverse voices in our community on top of an Art Deco inspired portrait. A striking and memorable image on the streets of downtown!

Remembering Our Friend Stephen Gyermek (1930 – 2016)

Our Grand family is saying goodbye to an icon; Stephen (Istvan/Pista) Agoston Gyermek has died. Our thoughts are with the Gyermek family in these difficult days.

Mr. Gyermek (Nov. 9, 1930 - Oct. 26, 2016) was a fourth generation artist from Hungary who lived and worked across four countries including Holland, Spain and the United States of America. He was true Master Artist producing significant bodies of work in design, drawing, painting, printmaking and stained glass. In addition he was a celebrated Art Historian, Museum Director and Professor. For nearly 50 years Stephen was a prominent and esteemed member of the educational and creative communities of San Joaquin County. In 2011, the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts premiered Kunstlerleben - From Budapest to the Valley - Stephen Gyermek Retrospective (June 25th through July 23rd, 2011).

The exhibition featured works from Stephen's life from age 10 to the present, and was met with celebration and acclaim attracting visitors from across America. To have known Stephen was a great gift… he could charm you with a vast understanding of world history, speaking across seven languages, while making you contemplate and laugh at the same time!

The Record's Michael Fitzgerald has written a story in Stephen's honor. Please consider commenting or writing a letter to the Editor voicing your support for The Record's important coverage of issues related to our creative community.

Remembering Our Friend Gretchen Talley (1933 - 2016)

Gretchen Talley was a long time, celebrated community leader and activist, and one of Tracy's quintessential arts and education supporters. Her decades of remarkable community involvement included St. Bernard's Mothers Guild, Tracy Joint Union High School District, San Joaquin County Board of Education, THS Parent Advisory Committee and Band Boosters, Tracy Parks & Recreation Commission, Tracy Tennis Club, San Joaquin County Bike Task Force, Tracy Friends of the Stockton Symphony and numerous other organizations.

Ms. Talley was also a Board Member of the Arts Leadership Alliance (now Grand Foundation) who worked in collaboration with the City of Tracy in the development of the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts. For many years after the Grand opened, Gretchen would enthusiastically attend events and promote the Center, as well as consistently offer kind words of support to the Staff. Her sincere efforts were always appreciated and she will be greatly missed.

Additional details about Gretchen's impressive life has been recently documented in the Tracy Press.

Remembering Our Friend Bruce Duke (1922 – 2016)

Bruce Duke was an immensely important ceramic artist and arts educator who is defined by a life-lived. His art and mentorship impacted thousands of lives, and he was a star-maker of numerous, prominent clay artists including Viola Frey. Our community has lost a legend. We are humbled to have premiered his retrospective exhibition in 2015, represented his work in the Co-Op, and to have recently celebrated with him at the Art Awards Luncheon (Artist Mentor of Influence & Inspiration Award) in August.

Bruce is pictured with his daughter Cathy Anderson just before the Opening Reception for Father Clay - Bruce Duke Retrospective on August 29th, 2015. - Photo courtesy of Ernie Anderson; all rights reserved.

Remembering Our Friend Pat Sanchez (1942 – 2016)

Pat Sanchez (Tracy, CA) was a truly special and memorable member of our community. Ms. Sanchez served as a nurse for 20 years, including caring for terminally ill children. Since 2007, Pat worked as a gourd and pine needle weaving artist. She began exhibiting professionally at the Grand in the fall of 2010, and quickly became a gallery favorite. Pat also offered a series of workshops in the Arts Education Program, patiently teaching hobbyists and artists alike how to work with her preferred materials.

Pat was highly supportive of the Grand Theatre Center of the Arts and her extraordinary loyalty and contributions to our programs will be remembered and celebrated. Before her passing, Pat donated one of her signature gourds to the City of Tracy – Civic Art Collection. It will remain on display in the Grand Galleries for the remainder of the 2015-16 Season in her honor.

Remembering Our Friend Bill Williams (1932 - 2015)

Bill Fulton Williams was a celebrated artist and educator for 30 years, teaching at Stockton College / San Joaquin Delta College with esteemed colleagues, Rowland Cheney, Bruce Duke, Stephen Gyermek, Jim Lewis and Pat Nakamura among others. For many years a Scholarship Award in Drawing has been presented during the annual Student exhibitions at the DCA LH Horton Jr Gallery in his honor.

Mr. Williams retired to his home state of Colorado but would often drop by the Grand Galleries when back in California. Not only will he be remembered for his generosity as a professor and mentor of fine art, but also for his kindness, tenacity, critical eye and sense of humor.

Remembering Our Friend Rowland Cheney (1943 - 2015)

Rowland Cheney (Clements, CA)was a prolific member of our creative community. He and his fiance, Mary Doucette of Lodi, were among the nine people lost in a plane crash near Ketchikan, Alaska in June of 2015.

Mr. Cheney was a celebrated Emeritus Professor of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture at San Joaquin Delta College, professional artist and an important member of the Kiger Mustang community. The Tracy community worked with Rowland for three years to create the largest work of his career, the monumental 20' landmark sculpture Harvest of Progress, at Central Avenue and 6th Street in downtown.

The photo (courtesy of the Tracy Press/Glenn Moore) to the left shows the artist hard at work on the cold night of December 5th, 2013, when Harvest of Progress was installed.

Remembering Our Friend Steve Mudge (1953 - 2015)

Steve Mudge (Modesto, CA / Santa Fe, NM) was a talented man of many accomplishments, funny and smart, and a celebrated metal sculptor. He exhibited in the Co-Op in the South Gallery and worked with Mark Knize (Tracy, CA) creating two 4' x 16' plasma-cut steel relief sculptures, Arrivals and Departures, on display in the main lobby of the Tracy Transit Station.

Steve (left) and Mark (right) are pictured here during the late night installation at the Transit Station in 2010. Both smiling after an exhausting day of work.